P.E.I. harbours need major dredging, not 'putting little bandages on it,' DFO is told

Some P.E.I. fishermen are calling for more thorough dredging of the Island's harbours after a challenging start to the lobster fishing season on the North Shore.

More than a dozen North Rustico lobster fishing boats were stranded offshore by a combination of sandbars, high winds and an extremely low tide on Tuesday afternoon, and issues were also reported in Naufrage and Milligan's Wharf. 

That led some fishers to hit the water early Wednesday, with some rushing through their gear to ensure they made it back into the harbour before low tide. 

"Personally, myself, I missed two full days due to wind and because of the tides," said Blake Buote, who has been fishing in North Rustico for about 25 years. "I missed about a third of a day because we had to rush the hauled gear to get in before the tides were too low." 

Year after year, the conditions in harbours across the Island seem to be getting worse, Buote said, adding that this year is the worst he's seen. 

"This is a serious, dangerous situation in many harbours. It's a two-month season. Losing a day is a lot more than people think. It's basically hour for hour, trap for trap," he said. 

"It's going to come to a point where every harbour is going to need a dredge, but all they're doing is putting little bandages on it." 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada told CBC News in an email statement earlier this week that dredging in the North Rustico channel took place between April 23 and 26, given that traps were being set for the first time during that time span. 

The statement said P.E.I.'s North Shore is experiencing a period of particularly low tides due to the new moon, but tidal forecasts suggest a return to normal levels by next week. 

Extreme low tides on P.E.I.'s North Shore add urgency to calls for more dredging

2 days ago

Duration 2:17

These are stressful times for fishers along P.E.I.'s North Shore, especially those based out of North Rustico. Low tides are wreaking havoc as boats wait for hours to get into the harbour. As CBC's Connor Lamont reports, dramatic stories of getting stranded with a catch of lobster on board have spurred calls for earlier dredging in the spring.

'It's not a laughing, joking matter' 

The dredging that took place in the North Rustico channel wasn't enough, said Buote, adding that the Hymac heavy equipment used to move sand can do only so much, since it operates from the land during low tide. 

In comparison, a dredge that works from the water can suck up and move sand, he said. 

"New boats now are worth a million dollars. These lobster licences, depending on the harbour, could be $2.5 million," he said. "That's a lot of money to be talking about, and it's not a laughing, joking matter." 

After a big blow or a big wind storm, we're back to square one again.— Ian MacKinnon

Over the years, the North Rustico harbour has gotten sanded in more and more, he said. Post-tropical storm Fiona damaged the breakwater in North Rustico, which Buote said doesn't help the situation. 

"On top of the breakwater being damaged, lack of ice and lack of help from DFO and Small Craft Harbours, boats are going to continue to be damaged, people are going to get hurt or possibly killed," Buote said. 

'It's an Island-wide thing' 

In Naufrage, the dredging that was done before lobster season wasn't enough for that harbour either, said Ian MacKinnon, captain of the lobster boat Y'Knot. 

"Every harbour needs to be dredged," he said. "It's not just us. It's an Island-wide thing, and it's really got to be looked at soon because there's a lot of money involved here."

Lots of boats that should have been at sea checking and emptying their traps were tied up on Wednesday, MacKinnon said.

"[It] was a day when you picked up the traps and you dropped them, pretty much," he said. 

"If you heard there was better fishing somewhere, you couldn't do too much about it because you were concerned about being stuck out in the water in high winds and low tides." 

In the long-term, MacKinnon said he would like to see the breakwalls on the run in Naufrage Harbour extended. But DFO's Small Craft Harbours program hasn't been supportive of that idea, he said. 

In the short term, the Island's harbours need more money to do more dredging, he said. 

"After a big blow or a big windstorm, we're back to square one again."